The Story of the Sorceress of Time
by LightWorldMidna
Summary: For as long as she can remember, Cia has been watching the world from the Temple of Souls, yearning for contact with Link. When she discovers that, throughout time, there has been a Link that she doesn't recognise, she puts herself into the body of his close friend to learn more about him. Events take a turn for the manic and Cia gets answers to questions she never even asked...
1. Chapter 1

Practised hands danced over a crystal ball, manipulating the images within. Memories of one life to the next spun by, stared upon by vacant eyes. Nobles, farmers, merchants, royalty, beggars. Everything. Everyone. Not a single one was familiar, yet all of them were. They'd all been watched over many, many times.

The images in the crystal ball began to proceed in another direction. A direction it knew well enough it could probably have done it without the hands that controlled it. The very direction that flowed towards images of a young man clad in green and sword in hand. The sorceress halted the images to show the face of one of them, one of her favourites - the one in the blue scarf. She sighed and placed a gentle hand on his cheek.

Except this was just the crystal ball. Cold and unfeeling, this was not the soft, warm cheek she wished to caress. She sat back and studied his features carefully, craving to know every inch of his face by heart.

After a long, long while of studying in frozen silence, she released the crystal ball. The image within swirled, blurred and disappeared. With the gentle sweep of one hand, she cast the crystal ball back to its stand in the corner. Watching it to see that it settled back safely, the Sorceress stood. The individual gussets of her skirt swept across the floor and the heels of her shoes gave quiet clicks as she walked across the uneven tiled floor.

The room, her room, was filled with masterpieces of her own creation. Faces of the images from inside her crystal ball captured with perfectly trained brush strokes, yet they were still not real. They were still not soft under her fingertips as she brushed his hair away. They still not would shift under her palm as the face smiled back at her.

She barely gave these recreations a second glance as she walked from the room, past the hallways and to the mezzanine. She chose the steps on the darker side of the temple today as she descended to the lobby. And there, opposite the grand doors, sat a painting. Unfinished, yet still so, so beautiful. She cast aside the barrier before it and took to painting once again. She settled into her work, stroke by stroke adding shades that may be indistinguishable to another's eyes. Each speck would be the correct shade of the very man she so lovingly gazed upon. She may have sat there for days, even weeks, adding the tiniest prick of paint. The works filling this temple could have been more realistic yet than the sights before a mortal's eyes. This was a skill that could not be mastered in one lifetime, no matter the dedication.

The dim purple light that crept through the halls of the temple were her only company aside from the canvas before her. They gave no indication as to the time, but she was not bothered by what time it may be. Whether it had been a long time since she had settled down or not, magic was the only sustenance that she required, and to gaze upon his face with her own eyes was the only thing she wished for. The remaining walls of the temple could crumble and leave her floating in the purple space beyond them for all she cared.

Eventually, she was satisfied. She set the paints down and used her magic to lift any paint from her hands, taking care not to let even a drop touch the clean white of her dress. She got up, stiff legged, and turned away. She kept her gaze averted as she returned the barrier to its former position, and walked to the entry steps. She drew herself a deep breath, calmed her eager excitement, and slowly turned to gaze upon her work.

She expected the usual chain of events. She expected to adore the painting almost as much as the man it was of, and then slowly grow to despise it; it's hollow, unblinking eyes and unmoving form reminding her that it was just another fake, simply a recreation of something she had never seem herself. Something she yearned to touch and get a reaction from. Not the smooth surface of the crystal ball, not the unmoving weave of the canvas, and not the cold solidness of the stone sculptures.

Instead, she gazed upon this one with perplexity. Something was amiss. It had been many, many creations since she had made a mistake in one of her paintings or sculptures. Yet something about this one eluded her.

She stared, scanned and scoured the image before her and refused to move until she found what was wrong. She would stand until her legs ached, stare until her eyes stung. Yet still, nothing seemed wrong.

The Sorceress stared into the eyes of the painting and quietly begged aloud that he let her know what she had done wrong. Her eyes flicked from one of his to the other, then back again. _Please..._

Her eyes began to grow wider as she recognised her misdirection. She had painted her favourite of the green-clad men, the one who wore the blue scarf. Yet those were not his eyes. It was not his face. This was not the face of Link, who she had watched make every move of his life. This was not the face of any Link that she recognised.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to BrandonBGamer for favouriting both me and this story, and to BlackFiraRose for favouriting this story. Thanks also to a guest and lolitathegoddessorca860 for your reviews.

I'm planning to update this story every Friday!

* * *

Cia's steps echoed up the stairs to the mezzanine and throughout the halls of the Temple. If she had not been walking up these stairs for as long as she could remember, her haste probably would have tripped her. She swept up the stairs and straight to her room, swinging one hand behind and casting magic to pull the doors shut with a heavy thud. A simple glare at the doors at the opposite end of the room cast forth the magic requited to slam them as well, setting the Temple ashudder.

She was barely a few steps into the room when she outstretched her arm to the corner of the room and drew the crystal ball to her. It met her in the middle of the room where she grabbed it from the air and sunk to the floor. The moment her fingers touched it, it leapt into life, flashing the same images it often did. This Link, that Link, every Link. Cia wasn't certain it was even Link that she was looking for. I need to find that face, she demanded, and the crystal began to roll through face after face after face. Every face of ever person who has ever lived in the land of Hyrule.

Despite her eagerness, she held her patience. Male, young. Let's begin with every Link throughout time, shall we? She watched the images cycle before her. Every face registered in her mind. The hero of the Surface. The Hero of the Sea. The Hero of the Deep. The Hero of Twilight. The Hero of the Wilds. Some who weren't heroes at all. Some who failed in their destinies. All of the Link's who had ever lived, any timeline or place.

Cia knew these faces all too well. Every one of them, she had studied extensively, and most had at least one dedicated portrait somewhere in her room. She recognised each one of them in a moment and cast them to one side with a querulous demand of Next! Her focus was unbroken. She must have searched through hundreds, thousands, but no sign of this mysterious face. I've never painted anyone but Link... It must be one I do not recognise, I would never paint anyone else!

There she sat in the middle of the floor where she had unmindfully collapsed, her dress cast around her in a haphazard and untidy mess. The flickering of face to face eventually slowed as her frustration grew. She wondered if, among the tedium of her search, would she ever see that face again? Had she already cast it aside? Or maybe she was mistaken as to whether that face even existed. She sighed and let the crystal ball fall into her lap, but she couldn't bring herself to stop searching.

It must have been a long time that she had sat there, and she soon became aware of the numbness in her legs. Taking care to not to drop the crystal ball, she decided to return to the newly completed painting. Maybe looking at the face again would refresh her memory, but if not, at least the journey would stretch her legs. She opened the doors once again with a small sweep of her hand, passive to the quaking creaks of the hinges complaining under the weight. Cia once again passed through through the temple, down the mezzanine stairs and back to the entrance hall, this time with the crystal ball suspended carefully between her hands.

The Sorceress stood before the painting once more. The face was so different to the one she was intending to paint, there was no way it was just a dash of misplaced paint. She scowled and raised the crystal ball, levelling it with her view of the face in the painting. The Hero of Winds. The Hero of New Hyrule. The Hero of the Goddesses. The Hero of the balance.

Cia paused. Hero of the balance? her focus flicked from one face to the other. But I know of him. He was the hero who... Who... Her gaze became distant as she racked her brains. I... I don't remember. She prompted the crystal to show her more of his life, and it obliged. She saw fleeting images of crop fields, travelling, but mostly, a girl he seemed to be fond of. But no matter how much she urged the images to stop, they would not yield and allow her audience. Something was stopping her from watching this lifetime, unlike the others. She was usually able to watch the hero's entire life unfold before her, and yet, this one refused to let her watch. I've never encountered something like this before. And I refuse to let this stop me.

The Sorceress pitched the crystal ball away from herself, letting it hang in mid-air as if it sat in its stand. She scanned the images within. Farmland, home, the girl, a horse, a knight, the girl again, then a scene of gore and darkness, and again, the girl. Cia was set on this girl now. If I cannot watch Link myself, I will watch him through her eyes! She lifted one hand and summoned forth her Tome of magic. The elegant hardback materialised in her outstretched hand, falling open. A non-existent breeze flicked the pages through as Cia searched for what she needed. The pages settled on the page she had searched for, and a smile pulled at her lips. She halted the images within the crystal. Not on Link, but on the girl. I will watch him from within her. I will experience her life as if it were my own.

Her sceptre materialised in her other hand and she began casting the spell. It was not one she used often, but one she had used many times before. She was unable to interfere with events, be them history or destiny. She was not allowed to put herself in one of the Goddess's chosen ones, no matter how much she had wished to watch Link through Zelda's eyes. Since Link was the only soul she had any interest in watching, she did not cast this spell much. There were very few people who interacted with the hero enough to gander her entertainment. The last time she recalled using the spell was to experience a few somewhat-intimate moments with the Hero of Twilight before his journey through the farm girl he was friends with. Those moments were tame and short-lived, as well as being few and far between.

When the spell was complete, she began to feel her consciousness slip away from her. She knew that her body would stay where it was, essentially comatose while she lived another's life. That did not matter to her in the slightest. A fervent smile crossed her face as the last of her senses slipped away from her, absorbed far, far away into space and time.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you to Ignitious and huntersaren for favouriting this story!_

* * *

Cia's eyes fluttered open and her vision was filled with bright greens and blues. It took her a moment to adjust, as she was used to the dim hues of the Temple and the Valley she had left behind. She sat up, looking around, and a feeling of unease washed over her. She was sat in a lush meadow under a bright blue sky, warmly illuminated by the bright sunlight that filtered down through the canopy of the tree above.

When she broke out into a wheezing cough, she became fully conscious of what was happening. This wasn't her body. She was watching through the mind of that girl she kept seeing. Cia was acutely aware of the fact that the girl had no idea where she was, but no thoughts at the front of the girl's mind gave any indication as to how she got there, either.

'_Goddess, please don't let me die here!_' She thought throughout her coughing. Cia, however, was unaffected by the girl's physical ailment, and took the opportunity to scan the area. _She doesn't sound healthy at all_. Eventually her coughing became weaker and was interlaced with small wines. Cia could feel the tears as they made tracks down her cheeks. She felt a small stab of sympathy, but it soon faded. _This won't be the first time I've seen someone choke to death, and I doubt it'll be the last._

The girl managed to stabilise her breathing, and it was replaced by quiet sobbing. Cia didn't even pick up on any thoughts of hers as to why she was crying, either. _How irritating._ The girl sniffled and lowered her head, giving Cia a good look at what she was wearing. She was wearing pale blue and white robes that would have looked rather lavish had they not been well dusted with soot. _She's a sorceress... How odd. I didn't think I was able to watch from the minds of those able to do magic_. One of the girl's tears fell onto her hand, and she quickly wiped it away, smudging the black dusting that covered her. _Was she in a fire?_

After more sniffling and no doubt more smudging of the ash on her face, she stopped crying. She sat back against the tree with a small sigh. '_Everything... Everyone... It's all gone. I'm... alone_.' She thought. She drew her knees up to her chest and cradled them._ Yes... Sounds like she was in a devastating fire._ Cia thought.

'_Why did I run so far?_' She thought. '_If I had stayed closer, maybe I would have had the energy to go back and see if anything was left..._' Images of charred buildings and bodies flashed through her mind, and she shuddered. '_On second thought... Maybe it's best I don't see it in daylight_.' Cia continued to listen to the girl mentally babble to herself, indecisive about whether she should continue walking or go home to see what she could find. Just as she began to grow irritable at the girl's indecisiveness, a thought caught her attention. '_What's that? Is that the sound of a horse?_'

The girl looked up into the distance, and there indeed was a horse, heading generally in her direction. She looked behind her. Smoke billowed into the sky far off into the distance, and she guessed the horse rider was on his way to investigate. '_They'll help me, won't they?_' She pulled herself to her feet, using the tree to support herself. The horse was veering off to the left, obviously making a beeline for the smoke, but its rider must have seen her as she stood up and changed course. She was relieved. '_Thank the Goddesses_'

She stood where she was, waiting. As he got closer, the man on the horse shouted out to her. "You there! This is private land! You should-" He obviously got close enough to see her condition, and his yelling ended abruptly. When he was within a few feet of her, he yanked on the reigns, but he vaulted from the horses back before the mare had even pulled to a halt. "Ma'am? Are you all right?"

Cia felt the girl's relief wash over her, but she ignored it. She was more interested in her own feelings - feelings that came to her the moment she recognised his face. _It's him!_

He was tall and well built, obviously a tough guy, but the expression on his face was that of pure panicked worry. "Are you from that town?" He pressed before she was able to get a word in, and he glanced at the smoke on the horizon.

She nodded. "I am. I-" She was cut off by another bout of coughing, and he instantly took her by the shoulders with gentle hands.

"You're in no condition to stand in the middle of a field and talk. Come on, I'll take you back to my village." He whistled to his horse, who had stopped to graze a little way behind the tree. She came trotting up, her hooves making soft thuds against the grass. "Here, I'll help you up." He gave her a leg up into the saddle, then patted the horse's neck. "Her name is Epona, and she's quite the lovely lady. She may be big, but there's nothing to worry about." He took her reigns and began leading Epona back the way he had come.

"Thank you, this is so very kind."

"I'm just doing what should be done. My name is Link, what's yours?" He smiled over his shoulder.

"Um, I'm Lana." She murmured. "Sorry to be a bother."

He shook his head. "It's not trouble at all, don't worry, I'm just glad you're okay."

'_He's so nice_' Lana thought. _He is indeed_, Cia agreed. He looked back over his shoulder, flicking his hair away from his face in the process. '_Looks like he could do with a hair-cut._' Cia would have snorted if she could've. _He needs no such thing._

"If you're up to it, could you tell me what happened to your town?" He gave her a gentle smile.

Lana cleared her throat with a small cough. "I don't know much. I think somebody attacked and set the buildings on fire. Some people... Some of them definitely didn't burn to death."

He looked horrified. "Who would do that? Your town had one of Hyrule's biggest libraries!" He looked away. "Did... Did anyone else escape?"

Lana's mind was filled with images of people burning. The images were so fleeting that the people weren't named, but Cia could tell from the sinking feeling that overcame her that they were people she knew and cared about. "I... I don't think they did."

"Oh..." Link cast her a quick sympathetic look that made Cia's heart wince. He didn't look back again for a few moments, but when he did, he was smiling again. "When we get back, you can have a nice warm bath and I'll find you something to eat. Some of the men from my village were also going to your village to find out what happened, they should be back by evening. They'll bring news about what happened to everyone else."

Lana thanked him, then fell silent. _She's in shock, she thinks this is just a dream._ Cia mused. _She'll soon realise it's better than a dream, I'm sure..._

Lana was unable to focus on the rest of the journey, which made it difficult for Cia to work out what was going on. They met three other horsemen on the way, and Link stopped to explain the situation to them. They gave Lana their condolences alongside their sympathetic looks, but not a single word of what they said to her really registered in her mind. Cia willed her to snap out of it and pay attention to Link, but no such luck.

* * *

Lana's mind remained practically dead until the hot water touched her skin. She was startled by it, but she quickly adjusted to the temperature and sunk into the tub. While she watched the water grow grey and murky from the dusting of ash on her, she took account of her surroundings. '_This tub is so small... This must be one of the small farm villages near the town. I guess they don't have sorcerers, either, so this water would have been heated over a fire... I must thank Link for the trouble later_.' She used the jug Link had given her to wash away the soot from her face and her hair, watching the shade of the water gradually grow darker and darker. Her mind began to wander again until her stomach growled. '_That's right, I didn't eat dinner last night. I wonder what time it is now_?' She continued to run water through her hair, but as long as it was, it took many rinses for it to come out vaguely clean. It took so long that the warmth of the water had seeped through the metal of the tub and left Lana shivering. '_I'm sure I'm still filthy,_' she thought. '_But I don't want to stay in here any longer_.'

She climbed out of the basin and shivered. She tried to ring and much water out of her hair as she could manage before taking the clothes Link had handed to her from the chair in the corner. She pulled them on; despite the fact they were simply farmers clothes and nothing like the fine fabrics she was used to, she smiled with gratitude. '_They're warm, at least_.' They were a little on the baggy side, but they weren't too bad a fit.

She stood in the room for a while, too nervous to go back out of the room. After all, it dawned on her now that she was in the house of a complete stranger. '_Only until I get better, then I'll leave_' she thought. Cia cursed at her mentally. '_I have magic to protect myself with, too_.'

Lana took a deep breath and made her way to the door, taking the wooden plank from its hooks that barred the door shut and gently pulling it open. "Link?" She had emerged into a larger room that had a fireplace in the corner and several counter tops, and on the other side, a table with two chairs. On the same wall as the door to the bathroom was a ladder leading up to the next floor and a door that seemed to be a pantry of some nature. Opposite the ladder was the door that lead outside. It was a small house, typical of a farming village. The woodwork was quite messy, but most of it was hidden with colourfully dyed rugs and pictures that hung from the walls.

Lana's attention was diverted from her observations when Link climbed down the ladder into the kitchen. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Here, um," He gestured over to the table, which Lana now realised was laid out with several platters of food. "Are you hungry?"

She nodded. "Thank you, again..." She muttered. He smiled, then pulled out a chair for her. She sat, and he took a bread roll from one of the plates, cut it in half, and spread butter inside. He then placed it her plate and sat down opposite her, picking up another roll for himself.

She took a hesitant bite, but put it down again when Link nervously cleared his throat. "So, uh, because your town will be... for the most part, uninhabitable... I'd like you to... You're welcome to stay here." She didn't reply for a moment, and he grew flustered. "My mother works at the stables, and she has a bed there, too. She's happy for you to take her room for now. It has a lock and everything."

Cia listened to Lana as she mentally debated with herself, not wanting to impose, but knowing she had nowhere else to go. Link grew restless as she remained silent. _How selfish of you._ "All right..." She finally muttered. "I'll stay... Until the smoke has cleared from home, at least. Then I'll be out of your way."

Link'e eyes brightened and his face lit up with a smile. "It's no trouble at all, you can stay as long as you like." He picked some more food from the plates in front of them, putting some on his plate and some on Lana's, inviting her to eat as much as she wanted with a wave of his hand and a smile. "Since you'll be staying here for a few days, I figured you'd be far more comfortable if you knew more about the place, and, well, me, so... As you know, I'm Link, I work in the fields in the village. I sometimes help my mother at the stables, too." He pointed to a picture that hung next to the table. It was a homely picture, featuring Link with Epona to one side, and a humble looking couple on the other. "That's her with my father. You'll probably meet her soon, but my father... Well, he works for the Royal Guard in Hyrule Castle Town, and I don't know when he'll next be visiting." He stared at the picture for a moment longer, then turned back to Lana. "I really want to join the Guard, too, but my mother needs me here. One day I'd at least like to go to Hyrule Castle Town. Even just to visit." He paused for a moment. "Hey, your town was home to Hyrule's school of sorcery, wasn't it? Did you ever visit Castle Town? Although I suppose only the sorcerers did..."

Lana's head was spinning from his babbling. "I did. One year before graduation, every class would visit the Royal Family. I visited last year." Lana replied. When his eyes grew wide she smiled meekly. "Yes, I... I am a sorceress." Lana expected to see fear in his eyes, as she had heard that most farmers believed sorcerers were their enemies.

"Maybe we can visit together, you'll be able to show me around!" He grinned, and Lana couldn't help feeling a warm affection for him. Cia, however, wasn't sure if she was jealous or thankful.


End file.
